Harman Kardon Beautiful Sound NI In-Ear Headphones Review

The chore of finding just the right discreet personal audio solution is a great problem to have. In-ear headphones and earbuds are as plentiful as ninjas on Halloween. Still wading through the morass of options is seemingly never-ending. Long-standing audio expert Harman Kardon aims to intensify that bottomless well of options as they toss in the Harman/Kardon Beautiful Sound NI Precision in-ear headphones for iOS devices.

The harman/Kardon NI headphones are rather modest in appearance. They pack a bit more style and sophistication than the plain-Jane dB Logic EP-100 headphones, but not much. The earbud backings are squared with rounded and embossed backs opposite the earbuds. The in-line remote features a mic and a 3-button design, which should be familiar to any iOS device user. Use the remote for volume control, play, pause, track skipping back and forth and a truncated host of phone functions (only answer and hangup). It’s simple and works well with responsive easy to reach buttons. I have to say, it’s also quite snazzy decked out in chrome and black trim.

The pack includes the Beautiful Sound NI earbuds, which end in a standard .35mm connector and three separate sizes for your silicon earbud sleeves. Medium seems to be the best fit for me in most cases, while the wife’s tiny ears will jettison anything larger than the smallest of sizes. You also get a magnetically sealed box for easy transport when not in use. It comes in a flat black matte color with “harmon/kardon” discreetly etched in the lower right corner. Simply and stylish!

The performance really matches the look: smooth and modest. Audio playback in both music and movies is very smooth with no distortion, hiss or unwanted feedback (at max levels). Frequency for Harmon/Kardon NI in-ear heaphones is 20k-20k and the unit utilizes a 3/8 (9mm) driver system. I have absolutely zero complaints. Clarity is rich and powerful with its only rival to date being the a-Jays we reviewed a few months back. Those will run you about $30 less. While the V-Moda Virbratos earbuds take the comfort and innovation trophies and will hit for about $20 more than the Harmon/Kardon NI earbuds.

But for a $100 you could do worse. The NI earbuds perform quite well but still exit the race behind the a-Jays which are more than 25% less. On their own, they stand firm and tall. But other offerings leave me uncomfortable to recommend these over some similarly priced solutions.

Editor Rating:

[Rating: 4/5]

Great

Bottom Line: A bit overpriced next to some similar options on the market. Still the performance is solid and the look and feel are spot on!

Shawn Sanders

Shawn loves gadgets, literature, history and games. For 10yrs+ he's straddled both the comic book & video game industries, as a writer, editor, marketing officer & producer. Shawn got his start in tech & games as an editor & Hardware Director for GameRevolution.com. More notable accomplishments include Executive Producer on mobile games Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved & The Shroud.